Thrashers de-claw kitty cats

Holy Hell! These Thrashers just knocked off a pretty solid Panthers team backed by All-World caliber netminding.

I may have been a bit rash in declaring a hiatus was a'comin' for my following of the Thrashers. The team played as, well, a team. As has happened for a majority of the season, the Thrashers fell behind in the first. Just like in Warshington. But in both these contests, unlike many others during the earlier part of the season, the Thrashers came out and competed in the first period, and never really stopped competing throughout the entirety of the game. It was a true joy to take in, with the Thrashers playing very well before a damn big and damn loud and rowdy crowd.

The Thrashers had a hell of a time getting back to Philips Arena though, as inclement weather necessitated spending all day traveling together instead of going back home to their own homes and families. Which raises the question (again, as it has been a major question all season) - If the Thrashers are so much better on the road, why? Of course, the dwindling home crowd could be a factor, as it's always far easier to play before your home crowd when they can be called, well, a crowd. And that's true for any sport. But that is something the Thrashers can control only indirectly through winning games and playing good hockey. What I wonder is this: What do the Thrashers do differently for away games? Is it that the team all stays in the same hotel and therefore the team is more immediate?

I don't suggest the team move into a complex from which there is no escape, but surely it wouldn't hurt the overall budget too badly to experiment a time or two by staying in a team hotel the night before a game and having everyone go back to the hotel instead of back to their homes. I doubt they'll ever even try it, but it would be interesting to see the results of said experiment. Though I will say there would be no real and true method for quantifying the results, so it could just as easily be a fluke of circumstances were it actually to "work" and the team perform well following the hotel stay.

But it's pretty interesting to think about. Anyway, it sure as hell beats the dismal what-ifs we Thrasher's fans have discussed of late...